Collapsibly mounted condenser



y 5, 1953 (31A. Gauss ETAL 2,637,179

COLLAPSIBLY MQUNIED CONDEHER Filed Kay 16, 1951 Inventor-S:

- /3 Geor e- A. 'Gfus' E Alex A. oloie'sKi,

' l2 Hi5 Attorney.

Patented May 5, 1953 COLLAPSIBLY MOUNTED CONDENSER George A. Gruss and Alex A. Sobieski, Erie, Pa.,

assignors to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application May 16, 1951, Serial No. 226,722

9 Claims. 1

Our invention relates generally to a refrigeration apparatus, and more specifically to home freezers of the type utilizing a natural-draft cooled condenser.

The use of natural draft to cool condensers is generally Well known in the refrigeration art. In such a case, the condenser is usually positioned at the rear of the cabinet structure housing the refrigeration apparatus and is mounted so that a substantial air space exists between the cabinet and the condenser itself. In this way, an air passage is formed between the cabinet and condenser which serves as the draft passage for drawing air across the surface of the condenser. The use of such an arrangement, however, is open to the objection that the depth dimension of the cabinet structure is necessaril increased because of the space between the condenser and cabinet. When a natural-draft cooled condenser is utilized on home freezers, for example, it frequently happens that the added Width due to the draft space makes it diflicult, if not impossible, to move the freezer through doorways normally encountered in homes, In such a case, the condenser must be entirely removed and then reassembled when the freezer is in place for use. The purpose of our invention is to overcome this disadvantage and provide a refrigeration apparatus with a natural-draft cooled condenser in which the overall width dimension may be reduced for movement through doorways and the like without completely disassembling or removing the condenser. This end is accomplished by mounting the condenser upon a wall of the cabinet so that the condenser is normally maintained in its spaced apart oroperative relationship to the cabinet but is adapted to be shifted so as to lie substantially flush against the surface of the cabinet for movement through narrow passages, doorways and the like.

Accordingly, it is an object of our invention to provide a refrigeration apparatus with a collapsibly mounted natural-draft cooled condenser.

It is a further object of our invention to provide a refrigeration apparatus with a collapsibly mounted natural-draft cooled condenser including an arrangement for maintaining the condenser in its operative position.

Further objects and advantages of our invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds and the features of novelty which characterize our invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming part of this specification.

For a better understanding of our invention,

Ka I

." 2 position against the rear wall 3.

reference maybe had to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. l is a rear view of a home freezer provided with a natural-draft cooled condenser embodying our invention; Fig. 2 is a top view, partly in section, looking down upon the rear portions of the freezer cabinet and condenser, and shows the condenser mounting in its normal or extended position; Fig. 3 is similar to Fig. 2 except that here the condenser mounting is shown in its collapsed position with the condenser against the freezer cabinet; Fig. 4 is a detail View of the hinge structure showing the position of the parts in the extended or operative position; Fig. 5 is similarly a detailed view of the hinge structure and shows the relation of the parts with the condenser in the collapsed position; Fig. 6 is an enlarged end view of the spacer assembly; and Fig. '7 is a sectional view of the spacer assembly along line ll of Fig. 6. In Fig. 1, we have shown, by way of example, a home freezer cabinet I provided with vertical side walls 2, a vertical rear wall 3, and a top portion or lid 4 which is hinged for opening and closing movement. Upon the rear wall 3 we have mounted a condenser E, which is of a conventional type including a flat plate or sheet to which refrigerant-conducting tubing is secured for heat dissipation. This condenser 5, which is substantially coextensive with the rear wall 3, is adapted to be cooled by natural draft and is attached to the rear wall 3 by hinges 6. The hinges 5 are located at the two sides of the condenser and are substantially coextensive with the vertical edges of the said condenser. The use of the hinges E5 in mounting the condenser 5 makes it possible for the condenser '5 to assume either a collapsed position substantially flush against the rear wall 3 of the cabinet I, or an operative position in which the condenser 5 is maintained in a spaced apart relationship to the rear wall 3.

Referring now to Fig. 2, we have shown a top view of the rear portions of the apparatus with the condenser ii in its operative or extended position. As indicated above, the condenser 5 is mounted upon the rear wall 3 by the hinges 6. Each of these hinges 6 includes two pintles 6a and 622 for afiording movement of the condenser between its operative position and its collapsed With the condenser in its operative position, the hinges are fully extended and consequently an air space "I is maintained between the rear wall 3 of the cabinet and the condenser. The air space 1 permits natural draft cooling of the condenser and therefore the condenser will normally be main tained in this operative or extended position. Although we have shown hinges at both edges of the condenser 5, it is of course possible to eliminate one of the hinges and still retain the advantages of having the condenser movable between a collapsed and an extended position.

Fig. 3, like Fig. 2, is a top view lockingdown upon the rear portion of the freezer cabinet I, and shows the relative positions of the parts when the condenser 5 is in its collapsed position. In this case, the hinges 55 have been folded utilizing the pintles l d and 5b and the condenser 5 has been moved to a position substantially flush against the rear wall 3 of the freezer cabinet i. With the condenser in this position, it is obvious that the overall width of the cabinet structure has been substantially decreased so that the structure may now be moved through more narrow doorways and passages than would other wise be possible.

In i and 5 have shown a cetail of the hinge 3 when the co denser s is in its operative and co'apsed p ons respectively. We have found that it con enient to use a double pintle or multiple type hinge construction for the hinge 5. Since both of the hinges 6 are identical, it will be sufiiclent to describe only one in detail. Referring again to t and 5, the hinge 5 consists of a center portion or strip 8 which extends between two hinge pintles Ga and 6b of the hinge 6 which provide spaced apart of rotation. Each extremity of the hinge 5 is provided with a narrow attaching strip ll. The attaching strips 2 are in turn secured in one case to the rear wall 3 of the freezer cabinet l, and in the other case to the condenser The entire hinge structure 5 is substantially coextensive with the height of the condenser .5 so that a hinge 6 a-Iiords an ef'l'ective arrangement for securing the condenser i to the rear wall 3. InFig. 4, the hinge is shown in its extended position and. consequently t e condenser E is in its operative position. In Fig. 5 the hinge 8 has been collapsed so as to permit the condenser E to be positioned substantially flush against the rear wall 3. In this position, the hinge pintles 80: and 6b lie in a plane substantially coincident with the plane of the condenser 5.

We have found it desirable to provide means for positively maintaining the condenser 5 in its operative position, that is, in aspaced apart relationship w th respect to the rear wall 3 so as to provide the air space '5. In Figs. 6 and 'I we have illustrated a spacer or spacing assembly it which we have found to be well suited for this purpose. This spacer or spacing assembly consists of a spacing plate H which is supported by the screws l2 between the condenser E and the rear wall 3 of the freezer cabinet. The screws l2 pass through openings located in the condenser 5 the rear wall 3, and the inner ends of the screws are threaded and have engagement with the internally threaded wells or rccesse l3 positioned on the inner surface of the rear wall 3. At opposite edges of the spacing plate i l we have provided a U-shaped configuration 44 which is open at the bottom face of the plate it so as to permit the shank portion of the screws l2 to lie within these U-shaped portions. In this manner. the screws 52 serve to support the spacing plate 2 i in position between the condenser and rear wall 3. A shim it may be positioned between the inner end of the spacing 4 plate l I and the rear wall 3 of the cabinet if desired.

From the foregoing description, it can be seen that the spacer or spacing assembly It is readily removable by merely unscrewing the screws l2 and removing them together with the spacing plate H. In Figs. 1 and 2 we have shown the spacer or'spacing assembly iii in position for maintaining the condenser 5 in its operative position. The condenser will normally be maintained in this position. If, however, a passageway or doorway is encountered which is too narrow to permit the passage of the freezer, the assembly i6 is removed so as to permit the condenser 5 to be collapsed against the rear wall 3 of the freezer cabinet 5 thereby decreasing the overall width of the cabinet. It is obvious that the spacer or spacing assembly Hi could be entirely eliminated from the apparatus, and a spring or friction means utilized to maintain the condenser din its uncollapsed position. Theme of the assembly it, however, is preferred since the condenser 5 cannot then be accidentally moved to its collapsed position.

While we have shown and described a specific embodiment of our invention as applied to a home freezer cabinet, it will be apparent that our invention may be employed equally well in other types of refrigeration apparatus. We do not therefore desire our invention to be limited to the specific construction shown and described and we intend by the appended claims to cover all modifications within the spirit and scope of our invention.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a refrigeration apparatus, the combination of a cabinet having vertically disposed exterior Wall portions, a planar condenser normally maintained in a parallel spaced apart relationship to one of said wall portions, hinge means including parallel spaced apart axes of rotation movably supporting said condenser from said Wall portion whereby said condenser may be moved between said parallel spaced apart position and a second parallel position adjacent said one of said wall portions, and means for maintaining the said condenser in the parallel spaced apart relationship to said one of said wall portions.

2. A refrigeration apparatus including a cabinet having vertically disposed exterior wall portions, a planar condenser normally maintained in parallel. spaced apart relationship to one of said wall portions, said condenser having parallel vertical edges, hinge means including parallel spaced, apart axes of rotation securing at least one of said parallel edges to the said one of said wall portions so as to movably mount the said condenser on the said one of said wall portions.

3. A refrigeration apparatus including a cabinet having vertically disposecl exterior wall portions, a planar condenser substantially coextensive with one of said wall portions and normally maintained in a parallel spaced apart relationship to said one of said wall portions, said condenser having parallel vertical edges, hinge members including parallel spaced apart axes of r0- tation extending between each of said vertical edges and said one of said wall portions.

4. A refrigeration apparatus including a cabinet having vertically disposed exterior wall portions, a planar condenser substantially coextensive with one of said wall portions and normally maintained in a parallel spaced apart relationship to said one of said wall portions, said condenser having parallel vertical. edges, hinge menbers extending between each of said Ver edges and said one or" said wall portions, am. a removable spacing means disposed between said one of said wall portions and said condenser for maintaining the said condense" in said parallel spaced apart relationship.

5. A refrigeration apparatus including a cabrnet having vertically disposed exterior wall pertions, a planar condenser normally maintained in a parallel spaced, apart relationship to one of said wall portions, hinge means securing said condenser to said one of wall portions, a spacer including a plate disposed in a normal to the planes of the said condenser said one of said wall portions and reinovahly supported between said condenser and one of wall portions so as to maintain the said con-- denser in said parallel spaced apart relationship.

6. A refrigeration apparatus including a cabi not having vertically disposed exterior wall portions, a planar condenser substantially coextensive with one of said wall portion and normally maintained in a parallel spaced apart relationship to said one of said wall portions, condenser having parallel vertical. edges, hinge bers extending between each of said vertical edges and said one of said wall portions, and a spacer including a plate disposed in a plane normal to the plane of the said condenser, a plurality of screws extending between said condenser and said one of said wall portions and removably sup porting said plate so as to maintain the con-- denser in said parallel spaced apart relationship,

7. The combination of a freezer cabinet, planar condenser, hinge means including parallel spaced apart pintles securing the said condenser to the said cabinet, and spacing members positioned between said condenser and said cabinet normally maintaining said condenser in parallel spaced relationship to said cabinet, said spacing members being readily removable to afford movement of said condenser on said hinges to a parallel position adjacent said cabinet.

A refrigeration apparatus including a cabl not having verticall disposed exterior wall por tions, a planar condenser normally maintained in a parallel spaced apart relationship to one of wall portions, hinge means securing said condenser to said one of wall portions, a spacer inclui we a plate disposed in a plane normal to the planes of the said condenser and said one of said wall portions so as to maintain the said condenser in parallel spaced apart relationship, means providing a plurality of threaded recesses on said one of said wall portions, nd a plurality of screws extending betwe n said condenser and one of wall portions for removably supporting said j to, each of said screws being arin threaded engagement with a corresponding one of said threaded recesses.

S). A refrigeration apparatus including a cabinet having vertically disposed exterior Wall portions, a planar condenser normally maintained in a parallel spaced apart relationship to one of said wall portions, hinge means securing said oonden er to said one of said wall portions, said hinge means including two parallel pintles and a center strip extending between said pintles so as to aiford movement of the said condenser bx,- tween said parallel spaced apart position and a second parallel position adjacent said one of said wall portions.

GEORGE A. GRUSS. ALEX A. SOBIESIZI.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,105,751 l lcney Jan. 18, 1938 2,446,875 Iwashita Aug. 10, 1948 

